International Center of PhotographyPhotomuse: Integrating Photography Collections Using Distributed Query Processing
This project introduces the first distributed query database system among institutions specifically devoted to the medium of photography. It is creating a distributed database hosted on a web portal managed jointly by the International Center of Photography and the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY. The partners are using this platform to develop methodologies to increase understanding of the photographic image. This accessible, information-rich, multi-institutional framework addresses the specific needs of the project partners, the cultural heritage field, and the general public worldwide. Anticipated results include online access to each institution's collections database, ability to search across collections, and development of best cataloging practices among photographic institutions. The project is seeking other institutional partners.
Project URL: http://www.photomuse.org

New Jersey Institute of TechnologyIntLib: Integrated Library Project
In partnership with the Newark Public Library, the New Jersey Institute of Technology is integrating relevant resources for library users in a single user-friendly interface through a sustainable infrastructure that brings together all of the online collections and services offered by the two libraries. The project links three commercial databases, the online catalog systems of both libraries, and the New Jersey Digital Highway—an integrated statewide digital resource also funded by IMLS—and is testing methodologies for extending the model framework to libraries nationwide.
Project URL: http://www.is.njit.edu/integral

Exit Art/The First WorldExit Art Digital Archive
Exit Art, a 25 year old visionary contemporary arts organization based in the New York City, is developing a digital archive that will make accessible documentation of the conceptual, multimedia, performance art and other non-traditional artworks that have been presented at the gallery over the past two decades. The Exit Art Digital Archive Project reflects current thinking in the museum and library field, which holds that specialized collections of interest to a large public are best served by the creation of digital surrogates. To date, however, most digitization projects in the museum field have been large-scale projects undertaken by large institutions with more general collections, because those are the institutions that have traditionally had the resources and motivation to invest in digitization on a large scale. Smaller art organizations like Exit Art, despite the fact that their archives hold information that is not duplicated elsewhere, have only recently started implementing digitization projects that will meet the demands for this information. The goal of the Exit Art Digital Archive is to increase public access to, knowledge about, and usefulness of the unique cultural materials in Exit Art's archives. It will also serve as a test case for the national and international digitization, cataloguing and description standards being developed by consortiums like CIAO (Conceptual and Intermedia Arts Online) and the New York Art Spaces Archive Project (ASAP) to preserve and disseminate the art of the last decades, that often depend on archival materials for their historical existence. The end result will be an open access, interoperable, searchable, cross-referenced networked databases that will centralize and facilitate public access to Exit Art's holdings. The database, digitization plan, and metadata schema will be made available to other organizations.
Project URL: http://www.exitart.org

This project is a collaborative cataloging and digitization effort that includes the Indiana State Library, the Indiana Historical Society, and the Indiana State Museum. A major goal of the project is to aggregate metadata and to create a cataloging tool for the partners who have not yet cataloged their sheet music. During the first phase, the project team focused on development of the cataloging interface. Three partners have now used the interface and contributed data. The demonstration will illustrate use of the cataloging interface and describe the cataloging guidelines as well as the collaborative development and implementation of the metadata model to meet the varied needs of the partnering institutions.
Project URL: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/projects/inharmony

Institut für MuseumskundeMICHAEL: Multilingual Inventory of Cultural Heritage in Europe
This project, supported by the European Commission, aims to open up worldwide access to the European cultural heritage. Its goal is to provide simple, multilingual and quick access to the digital collections of museums, libraries, and archives from a number of European countries. Project partners include the ministries of culture of France and Italy; the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council of the UK; and other public bodies. By 2007, the platform will be able to retrieve digital collections that are dispersed across Europe. The services will support research, education, cultural tourism, the creative industries, and other interests.
Project URL: http://www.michael-culture.org

University of Richmond, Boatwright Memorial LibraryA Testbed of Civil War Era Newspapers
The University of Richmond, in collaboration with the Tufts University Perseus Project and the Virginia Center for Digital History, is producing a digital testbed of historical newspapers relating to the Civil War. From this research testbed, the project is analyzing different methods of creating digital newspaper content, with particular emphasis on costs and benefits. The project will produce a set of recommended practices and a model for collaboration between institutions with different levels of experience in digitization.
Project URL: http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/library/digital/IMLSpd.htm

University of Denver, Penrose Library, Collaborative Digitization ProgramColorado's Historic Newspapers: A Statewide Model for Digitization
The Collaborative Digitization Program in partnership with the Colorado State Library, and Colorado Historical Society is creating a 125,000-page newspaper collection for the Colorado Virtual Library, using Olive software to scan from microform 200 Colorado newspapers. The project includes development of online learning modules for K-12 education and a metadata scheme and indexing system based on 19th century natural language.
Project URL: http://www.cdpheritage.org

University of Utah, Marriott LibraryUtah Digital Newspapers
The University of Utah and Brigham Young University have built on an initial collection of three digitized newspapers funded by the Utah State Library with State Library Services and Technology Act funds. This project has expanded the collection, distributed the content across three different locations in Utah, aggregated the content into a single, integrated digital collection of historical newspapers, and trained over 20 other institutions on launching their own digital newspapers programs.
Project URL: http://digitalnewspapers.org

Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation TrustArchitect Studio 3D
The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust has launched Architect Studio 3D, a web-based interactive learning project that gives users (particularly youths ages 11-14) the opportunity to act as architects, using their imaginations to create their own design solutions to problems posed by specific clients and sites. Users will also be able to search through examples of Frank Lloyd Wright's and other architects' residential designs, provided on the Web site, to fuel their imaginations in developing their own unique designs.
Project URL: http://www.architectstudio3d.org

Walker Art CenterArt on Call
The Walker Art Center is exploring a new model for the museum audio guide that exploits the ubiquity of cell phones to convey information. Using an industry-standard interactive voice response system, the museum has developed audio segments and event information that can be accessed through visitors' own cell phones. This provides audio programming at a much lower cost than traditional museum audio guides. A voice menu prompts callers to choose from a short list of menu items, allowing visitors to chart their own paths through the museum.
Project URL: http://newmedia.walkerart.org/aoc

University of California Los AngelesDiscover Babylon
Discover Babylon is a collaborative research project of the Federation of American Scientists, UCLA's Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative and the Walters Art Museum. These institutions are working together with Escape Hatch Entertainment, a commercial game company, to develop a video game that highlights the rich cultural legacy of Mesopotamia. The game combines library and museum resources and exploits advanced learning technologies to engage players through an original narrative. The game supports the contextualization of knowledge objects from different collections in vivid and accurate historical landscapes that provide a compelling experience for visitors to the museum and learners at home. Discover Babylon encourages users to become active seekers of knowledge on their own—an essential element for continuous lifelong learning.
Project URL: http://www.discoverbabylon.org/index.asp